Crime & Safety

Four Hikers Rescued off Cliff in Rope Rescue at Eaton Canyon

The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team used ropes and a pulley system to rescue four hikers who were stuck at Eaton Canyon

The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team executed a rope rescue of four hikers who were stuck on cliffs above Eaton Canyon on Tuesday evening.

That rescue, which took several hours, was the third one in a little over 24 hours.  On Monday night, a hiker fell in Eaton Canyon, and on Tuesday morning, the Fire Department airlifted a hiker off a cliff above Eaton Canyon.

Tuesday night's rescue was a little more tricky: because it was night time, rescuers did not want to use a helicopter to evacuate the hikers, so the team used ropes to rescue the four, using maneuvers that took several hours to complete, according to Rich Deleon, of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team.

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The call came in around 6:15 p.m. and the rescue was not complete until 11 p.m, Deleon said.

The four hikers were stuck in two separate locations.  Two of the hikers were in an area where they could still get down without serious climbing, but the hikers were uncomfortable with coming down on their own, Deleon said.

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The team set up a rope and hooked the two hikers to it so they could walk down without the threat of falling.

The other two were in a more complicated position where going down would have led to a fall, Deleon said.

For those two, hikers had to lower a rope and then use pulleys to hoist them up 25 feet.  From there, they were then able to assist them in getting down an easier part of the cliff.  

From that point, the hikers were able to walk out.  They did not suffer any injuries.  All four hikers were in their 20s, according to Deleon.


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